Streams of Mercy

A special Easter blessing this year is the birth of baby lambs at a local farm. Two were born on Good Friday, two on Easter Monday and two the Second Sunday of Easter. These beautiful creatures teach us so much!

One of the little lambs was rejected by his mother – he had a bit of a limp, and was smaller than his twin. That was very sad for me to watch, but what a joy to see other mothers come to nurse the little one….and there were all the friends and family who came with bottle in hand to make sure he was fed. Such loving care!

I remembered my children’s little “night-night” song as I watched the little lambs and actually sang it to the little lamb in my arms:

Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me;

Bless Thy little lamb tonight;

Through the darkness be Thou near me;

Watch my sleep till morning light.

All this day Thy hand has led me,

And I thank Thee for Thy care;

Thou hast clothed me, warmed and fed me,

Listen to my evening prayer.

The image of Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” has always been so meaningful for me. The Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one little lost lamb and brings it home rejoicing; the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep; the Good Shepherd who calls his sheep by name and leads them out; the Good Shepherd who leads beside still waters and green pastures… and so much more. The Good Shepherd is the Lamb of God, the great and final sacrifice, freeing us from the power of sin and death and securing our salvation.

In Psalm 23 David writes from the standpoint of a sheep speaking about its owner. In John 10, Jesus speaks as the Good Shepherd. He describes his relationship to his sheep-- we the people who have come into his ownership and under his care. So interesting to see things from the perspective of the sheep and the shepherd!

These precious little lambs born in this season of renewal and new birth are special gifts reminding us of the relationship God longs to have with each of us. Psalm 100:3 affirms this: “Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

Elizabeth